ROCHESTER, N.H. -- Two hostages have been released from the Hillary Clinton campaign office in Rochester, police said, but it was unclear if there were any more inside.
LIVE VIDEO: Watch Coverage | Images | Slideshow: '08 Campaign Trail
An armed man took hostages at the office on 28 North Main St. Friday afternoon, and officials with the campaign said that there were two workers taken hostage in the office, but police have not confirmed that those were the only two hostages in the building.
The two hostages were released at about 3 p.m.
ABC News reported that the hostage-taker was an older male who was well-known locally and has a history of mental illness who told his son today to "watch the new."
Clinton, who is not in New Hampshire, canceled a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia.
A woman and her baby told workers at a neighboring business that she was released by the hostage-taker.
"A young woman with a 6-month or 8-month-old infant came rushing into the store just in tears, and she said, 'You need to call 911. A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape,'" witness Lettie Tzizik said.
Witnesses described the man as in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair. There are several police officers in the area with guns drawn.
"I walked out and I immediately started running, and I saw that the road was blocked off. They told me run and keep going," said Cassandra Hamilton, who works in an office adjacent to the building.
Police used a loudspeaker to announce to the hostage-taker that they were going to try to send a phone in so they could talk to him.
Nearby businesses have been evacuated, and students at the St. Elizabeth Seton School were moved to the Maple Street School, where they will be released to their parents.
Several elementary and middle schools in the areas locked their doors in what officials called a "soft lockdown." Children at the McLelland School, Maple Street School and William Allen School were only being released directly to their parents.
"There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, N.H. office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction," an official from Clinton's campaign said in statement.
"Police are negotiating with someone in the building," said another witness, who did not want to be identified. "The police are notifying all the business owners on the street to evacuate. There are fire trucks behind the Hillary Clinton office."
"We are all disappointed that this would happen in our city. We are a quiet, friendly city," Rochester Mayor John Larochelle.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama also has an office in Rochester, and it has been evacuated. Staff members in John Edwards' office, which is a few buildings away, were also evacuated. There were no reports of any injuries. There were no reports of any injuries.
http://www.wmur.com/news/14737868/detail.html
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O boy... further developments are going to be interesting. I'll open the books that are 5:1 that she will get a bounce from this.
Well, if anything, this should highlight her negotiating skills.
LIVE VIDEO: Watch Coverage | Images | Slideshow: '08 Campaign Trail
An armed man took hostages at the office on 28 North Main St. Friday afternoon, and officials with the campaign said that there were two workers taken hostage in the office, but police have not confirmed that those were the only two hostages in the building.
The two hostages were released at about 3 p.m.
ABC News reported that the hostage-taker was an older male who was well-known locally and has a history of mental illness who told his son today to "watch the new."
Clinton, who is not in New Hampshire, canceled a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia.
A woman and her baby told workers at a neighboring business that she was released by the hostage-taker.
"A young woman with a 6-month or 8-month-old infant came rushing into the store just in tears, and she said, 'You need to call 911. A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape,'" witness Lettie Tzizik said.
Witnesses described the man as in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair. There are several police officers in the area with guns drawn.
"I walked out and I immediately started running, and I saw that the road was blocked off. They told me run and keep going," said Cassandra Hamilton, who works in an office adjacent to the building.
Police used a loudspeaker to announce to the hostage-taker that they were going to try to send a phone in so they could talk to him.
Nearby businesses have been evacuated, and students at the St. Elizabeth Seton School were moved to the Maple Street School, where they will be released to their parents.
Several elementary and middle schools in the areas locked their doors in what officials called a "soft lockdown." Children at the McLelland School, Maple Street School and William Allen School were only being released directly to their parents.
"There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, N.H. office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction," an official from Clinton's campaign said in statement.
"Police are negotiating with someone in the building," said another witness, who did not want to be identified. "The police are notifying all the business owners on the street to evacuate. There are fire trucks behind the Hillary Clinton office."
"We are all disappointed that this would happen in our city. We are a quiet, friendly city," Rochester Mayor John Larochelle.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama also has an office in Rochester, and it has been evacuated. Staff members in John Edwards' office, which is a few buildings away, were also evacuated. There were no reports of any injuries. There were no reports of any injuries.
http://www.wmur.com/news/14737868/detail.html
===========
O boy... further developments are going to be interesting. I'll open the books that are 5:1 that she will get a bounce from this.
Well, if anything, this should highlight her negotiating skills.